Chapter 40 The soft words of the three young students Wang Kaiyun made Zeng Guofan's heart beat

The man came in, bowed upright in front of Zeng Guofan, and introduced himself without being humble or overbearing: "The late Wang Kaiyun pays his respects to Mr. Butang." "Your step is Wang Kaiyun?" Zeng Guofan looked at Wang Kaiyun carefully.He was quite young, about twenty years old, with a medium build, a broad face, and two shining black eyes. He was wearing a gray coarse cotton robe, a black cloth single cap, and wide-toed thick-soled single-beam cloth shoes.Although he was dressed plainly, he looked radiant. Zeng Guofan liked it in his heart, and said affectionately to Wang Kaiyun: "I have admired you for a long time, I have admired you for a long time, there is no need to be formal, please sit down."

Zeng Guofan's word "long admiration" is not a polite way for ordinary literati to meet. He has indeed heard of Wang Kaiyun a long time ago.That's what Wang Shiquan told him: One day, a beggar old beggar came to Dongzhou Academy to ask for advice, holding the upper couplet of "If you don't have food and drink springs, how can you live with white water", he stumped the educated people in the academy for a while. scholar.Later, a young scholar matched up with the second couplet of "Grind stones, and divide rice to satisfy hunger", and he was spared the shame of Dongzhou Academy.This person is Wang Kaiyun.Zeng Guofan admired Wang Kaiyun's intelligence.Now, this clever scholar came by himself, so he was naturally happy.

After Wang Kaiyun sat down generously, Zeng Guofan asked: "From the accent of your step, it seems to be from the Xiangtan area." Wang Kaiyun said: "I was born in Yunhu Bridge, Xiangtan. I came to Dongzhou Academy to study last year. I read "A Call to Cantonese Bandits" at the ferry yesterday. I know that the Lord will send his troops to the north soon to quell the giant bandits and relieve the people. Humble, congratulations from the public office." Zeng Guofan saw that Wang Kaiyun was eloquent and well-spoken, and thought that this man had some talents, so he smiled and said: "In the past six months, Xiangyong has been in Hengzhou, and he has received support from all walks of life in Hengzhou. Now it has begun to take shape. Hong Yang turned again He invaded Hubei and trampled on Hunan. Guofan was ordered by the imperial court to leave his army in the near future to destroy the evil and rebels and defend his hometown, and he also troubled his subordinates to convey my gratitude to the elders of Hengzhou."

Wang Kaiyun hurriedly stood up, made a bow, and said: "Ming Gong trained soldiers in Hengzhou, rewarded and commanded the three armies, swept away the accumulated habits of Hengzhou officialdom, and cheered up the spirit of steaming Hunan scholars, farmers, businessmen, and his achievements are well-known in Hengqing. I am admired by the three hundred students in Dongzhou." "It's an honor." Wang Kaiyun sat down again, and said: "Wan Sheng recited "A Call to Cantonese Bandits" yesterday. This article is powerful and inspiring. Its role is no less than that of a thousand-strong army. I hope that the southeast half will be determined by this article." .”

"If it is true what you said, it will be the blessing of the country and the luck of the people." "The Call to Cantonese Bandits is as good as it gets, but there is a big mistake in it. I don't know who wrote this article in Ming Gongmu, did Ming Gong pay attention to it?" Zeng Guofan was taken aback, and Luo Zenan and others sitting aside were also surprised.Zeng Guofan has always known that "in ten steps, there must be fragrant grass; in ten houses, there must be loyal men", not to mention that the young man in front of him is a brilliant talent, and he must not be viewed with secular concepts. Since he dared to enter Zhao The family ancestral hall came to point out the mistakes in the call to action, and there must be some in-depth research.Zeng Guofan didn't show his face, stroked his beard, and said to Wang Kaiyun with a pleasant face: ""The Call to Cantonese Bandits" was written in a hurry, there must be something wrong, I hope you can point it out frankly."

Wang Kaiyun talked eloquently: "When the army went out, it issued a crusade to boost morale, which has always been valued by the commander. Therefore, when King Tang defeated Jie, there was a "Tang Oath" handed down; when King Wu defeated Zhou, he wrote "Tai Oath" in Mengjin ", wrote "Oath of Mu" in Muye. Conquer guilty, respectful punishment. Xu Jingye launched an army to attack Wuzhao, and King Luo Bin wrote "Discussing Wu's Call" for him. This matter will forever be recorded in the annals of history, and it is the most important event in the world today. The article "Discussing Bandits in Guangdong" cooperated with this mission, and since the day it was posted, it has spread to thousands of households in and outside Hengzhou City, and it will be the same in the future. "A Call to the Wu Family" has been handed down as well. But it is a pity that this article avoids Hong Yang's main intention of rebellion. Minggong must have read Chang Mao's "Fengtian Begs Hu Call."

Zeng Guofan remembered the notice that Luo Dagang asked him to copy the night he was captured by the Taiping Army, so he nodded. "Don't be afraid of being blamed by Minggong, forgive Wansheng for speaking bluntly. Although Hong Yang's "Feng Tian Begs Hu Xi" is bold and unforgivable, it has its own uniqueness in deceiving people's hearts and deceiving the world. Article The first few sentences are very provocative. Among them, "Use Xia to change the barbarians, cut the evil and keep the righteous, swear to sweep away the dust, and expand the territory. This is a rare occasion of sincerity, and it is time to build an immortal honor. Therefore, it is wise from time to time. A man of honor, a heroic couple, all look to the clouds and look at the sun, and watch the wind and shadows follow. Sincerely understand the principle of renouncing the adversary and following the obedience, and the achievement of co-constructing husbands, respecting heaven and diligent kings can also impress those who are eager for quick success and instant benefits. Hong Yang rebellious It is the so-called "using Xia to change barbarians" and "swearing to sweep away the dust" to incite people's hearts. The evil intentions in this are extremely vicious and powerful. I think "calling on the bandits in Guangdong" is going to be refuted from these places. Unfortunately, it is , the call to arms bypasses it, making people feel that Duke Ming's army is not a division of Qin Wang, but a division of defending the way and protecting the teachings after reading it."

Zeng Guofan's broom eyebrows frowned slightly, but Wang Kaiyun didn't seem to notice it, and continued to talk loudly: "Actually, Hong Yang's essay is not worth refuting. It is pure nonsense to say that the Manchus are barbarians and barbarians. If you say barbarians, Hong Yang himself is a barbarian, and we are all barbarians. The Jingchu area was a land of barbarians in the Spring and Autumn Period. Aren’t we all descendants of barbarians? Manchuria was included in the territory of China as early as the Tang Dynasty, and it was also granted by the imperial court in the Ming Dynasty. Jue, how can you say that the Manchus are not Chinese?"

Wang Kaiyun's words shocked Zeng Guofan, Luo Zenan and others like a stone breaking the sky.Zeng Guofan sat on the chair, squinted his eyes, and looked at the young man who had just passed the weak crown in front of him with admiration.When I was writing my essay, I didn’t think of criticizing Hong Yang’s theory of Yi and Xia, but I couldn’t express my words, so I deliberately avoided this issue, and focused on maintaining the relationship between monarchs and ministers, and the etiquette and righteousness of Confucius and Mencius.It's no wonder that the power of the call-to-action is insufficient. It seems that it is not because of lack of momentum, but because of lack of knowledge. "Aspirations do not depend on age", sincerely said!Zeng Guofan smiled and said: "You have a good opinion. You have such insight at a young age, and your future is limitless!"

Wang Kaiyun got up to thank him, "Duke Ming praised you, Wansheng is extremely honored. Please turn your screen away, Wansheng still has a few words from his confidant to tell Duke Ming." "Please follow me to the study." After entering the study, Wang Kaiyun closed the doors and windows by himself, and said to Zeng Guofan in a low voice: "Late birth is my humble opinion, "A Call to Cantonese Bandits" should not be posted again, so as not to be picked on and discussed. Since the Manchus entered the customs for two hundred years, all dynasties have The guards against the Han people are very strict. Ming Gong has thousands of people on land and water, and they are all recruited by Ming Gong alone. The soldiers are strong and well-trained. After Ming Gongshi left, he should always check and pay attention to these places to avoid accidents."

Zeng Guofan nodded his head lightly, and Wang Kaiyun lowered his voice again: "The Duke of Ming ruled the army strictly, respected the corporals, and the people of insight in Hengzhou thought that the Duke of Ming was the one who turned the world around. Qin had no way, so there were princes from all walks of life vying for the Central Plains It is not yet predictable who will win the deer in the future, I hope Duke Ming will pay attention to it." These two sentences of Wang Kaiyun were so subtle that only Zeng Guofan could hear them, but they were like thunderclaps, making Zeng Guofan's heart beat violently.He wanted to reprimand loudly "arrogance and absurdity", but he saw that Wang Kaiyun was purely kind, and he liked his talent and knowledge.He was more tolerant of this kind of promising young man whom he met for the first time.Zeng Guofan took an evasive attitude and refused to answer, saying: "It's getting late today, I don't have to go back to Dongzhou, how about staying overnight with me?" Wang Kaiyun was studying the study of emperors, and he originally wanted to use this idea as a step forward to join Zeng Guofan, but seeing that he had no interest in it, it was inconvenient to discuss it further.He really wanted to stay by Zeng Guofan's side for a while, waiting for the opportunity to speak again, so he said happily: "Thank you Minggong for your kindness. Wansheng plans to go to the provincial capital in the near future. I wonder when the army will leave?" "Leave early tomorrow morning." Wang Kaiyun was overjoyed: "If Meng Minggong allows Wansheng to go with the army, I will be very grateful!" Zeng Guofan fully agreed: "Tomorrow, please take the same boat with the committee members of Liangtai!" Thank you Wang Kaiyun.